Monday, April 11, 2016

In the Torah of Rebbe Nahhman MeUman, entitled Likutei Moharan (roughly translated: 'the compiled teachings of our Teacher, HaRav Nahhman'), R' Nahhman delivers unparalleled insights, drawing on the Tanakh, the statements of the Sages from within the Talmud and Midrashim, as well as from the Holy Zohar and the writings of the Ari z"l.

So here in Torah 17 of Likutei Moharan, R' Nahhman tells us why some gentiles end up converting to Judaism. I will only post key sections of the Torah itself. The rest may be read here. I will underline key points and my comments/clarifications are in parentheses:

"5. But just how is it possible to make converts? — are they not quite far from the holiness of Israel? — and where does this come from, that it comes to their mind that they should convert? Just know, that this is done through the aspects of (Eccl. 19): "Wealth adds many friends;" i.e. through charity that one gives to a wise scholar, who is made up of several souls of Israel, for actually, how is it possible for a gentile to come to the faith of Israel? — are they not quite far from Israel? — and how is it possible to talk to them, that they should hear and come to the holy faith? — but, like when one is very far from another, and it is impossible to talk to him so that he can hear, it is necessary to write him some writing, so likewise it is necessary to send the idea of writing to them, until they can hear, though they be far. For the root of the sense of hearing is because the letters of the speech are engraved in the air, and the airs strike each other, until it comes to the ear of the hearer, and therefore when the air is still and pure and clear, then when one speaks who is able to speak, then the speech is heard from afar, as we see tangibly, but when there is stormy wind, then it is impossible for the other one to hear, for the wind confuses and scatters parts of the airs and they are scattered, until it is impossible for the other one to hear even the voice, and even less so, the speech itself:

[skipping two paragraphs]

And then when the air is still and pure, then when the one speaks who can speak Israelite speech, i.e. holy speech, then this speech is written and engraved in the air, like (Ps. 45): "my tongue is the pen of a ready writer;" and then the speech goes and is heard from afar, like (Es. 9): "and his fame went out throughout all the provinces" for because the air is still and pure, they are able to hear from afar, and then this speech is written in the books of the nations, in various lands according to their writing, and then the nations find in their books the reverse of their faith (they found contradictions), like we have found, several converts who converted because of this, because they found in their books the reverse of their faith. And where does this come from, that they should find now what is against their faith? — this comes but through the speech of the Tzaddik, which is engraved and written in the air, like: "my tongue is the pen of a ready writer;" and the air was still and pure through the aspect of "wealth adds many friends;" until the speech went out in the aspect of "and his fame went out throughout all the provinces" and was engraved and written there in their books (bits of truth from the speech of a Tzadik becomes written in their books, and causes contradictions, and through this they cling to the truth and convert to Judaism), and through this aspect they found in their books the reverse of their faith, and through this they converted, as several converts who converted through this relate, through their finding in their books the reverse of their faith, and all this is drawn from the aspects, as mentioned above.

And this is like (Es. 6): "And it was found written, that Mordechai had told." Mordechai is like the unbeliever at idol worship, as is written: "the Jewish man;" as our Rabbis of blessed memory said (Megillah 13): "Whoever denies the worship of stars and signs is called a Jew." i.e. that the words that Mordechai spoke, which are words of denial of worship of idols, they were written in the air, until writing was found in their books, as mentioned above. And this is [the meaning of]: "And it was found written, that Mordechai had told," that the utterances which Mordechai spoke, which are utterances of faith of the true Tzaddik, was found written in their (the nations') books, for the speech of the Tzaddik went afar, until it was written and inscribed there in their books, through which the reverse of their faith is found in their books, for it is found in their books holy speech which Mordechai spoke, who is like the Tzaddik, as mentioned above. And this is: "And it was found written, that Mordechai had told," as mentioned above. And then, when these nations come and find there the reverse of their faith, from this are made converts, like (Es. 8) "And many of the people of the land became Jews:"

6. But from just where does it come, that these ones specifically should find in their books the reverse of their faith and should come back and should recognize the faith of Israel, and the others should not find at all, and remain in their [false] faith? Just know, that this is because of the aspect of good, that is suppressed under their (the nations') hands, i.e. the aspect of parts of souls of Israel that is suppressed by them, for all the good is only the aspect of souls of Israel, i.e. when the nations strengthen up, they do not allow Israel to do mitzvot, like it was found, that they decreed that they should not circumcise their sons that they should desecrate Shabbat (see Rosh Hashana 19, Baba Batra 60: Me`ilah 17). Hence, the good that Israel needed to do, was suppressed under their hands, and also when they prevent Israel from serving Hashem Yithbarakh, through causes that they cause through taxes and property taxes that they levy on them, and also through their withholding benefits from Israel, through all this the good is suppressed under their hands, i.e. parts of souls of Israel.

And in the beginning this good (the bits of souls of Israel) that is suppressed by them remembers that it comes from a very holy and high place, (the parts of souls under the nations' suppression realize that their source in Israel) but they (the nations) just overcome this good and suppress it under their hands, until it is caught and tied by them, until the good itself forgets its loftiness, and through the Israelite speech, that goes out and is written in their books, as mentioned above, then this suppressed good there finds it in their books, i.e. it finds there the reverse of their faith (contradictions), and then this good recalls its loftiness, how that it comes from a very high place, i.e. that it is parts of the souls of Israel, that all the worlds were created for them, and "These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants... there they dwelt with the king for his work" (Chron. I 4), for Hashem Yithbarakh, consulted with the souls of Israel to create the world (Bereishit Rabbah 8, Midrash Ruth 2), and then the good begins to be sorry and yearn because of it fell from such a high place, and is now suppressed under their hands, and will come, God forbid, to annihilation and loss, and it wants to go on and return to its place; and because the good is already tied and caught by them in ties of ties, therefore when the good begins to return, then it draws and tears off with itself more from their evil. And this is like the converts that come to convert, who are like the evil that is torn off from them with the good, through the good returning to its place, for it is impossible for the good to return to its place, because of the vastness of the tying that is very tied and clipped there, and it is unavoidable that it should tear off with it from the bad, and this is the idea of converts."

To summarize briefly:

1. Potential converts' souls are comprised of parts or perhaps entire souls of Israel that are trapped underneath the nations' control via the nations imposing some authority over the people of Israel.

2. This good that was suppressed begins to affect SOME of the gentiles, while others do not.

3. Even if many gentiles see contradictions in their religious books, as a result of the utterance of the Tzadik being written in the air, spiritually, and finding their way into their books, causing contradictions in the religious books of the gentiles, like the Christian Bible/"New Testament" or the Qur'an - even though some gentiles may see these contradictions but not repent and convert, other gentiles will.

4. The gentiles who DO repent do so because they have an Israelite soul, or part of one, that is the good that the nations suppressed from Israel, and when it sees bits of truth that causes the contradictions in the religious books of the nations, it yearns for that truth, that Torah, because it remembers its origin and rightful place, among Israel.

Now, in the book of Hhayei Moharan, "The Life of Our Teacher Rav Nahhman", it tells us a little background about this Torah, #17, in the book of main teachings of R' Nahhman, Likutei Moharan. There it states.

"When he (R' Nahhman) said [this] Torah/teaching...in that same year, many converts had converted as a result of finding contradictions to their faith in their [religious] books...

...particularly, in the same year that Rabeinu z"l (R' Nahhman) said this teaching, there were then many stories that were, suddenly after Shabat Hanuka when Rabeinu z"l said this teaching, suddenly a [Christian] priest converted from the village. Afterwards, he (the former priest) was by Rabeinu z"l, and he told him that he found contradictions to their faith (Christianity) in their [religious] books.

Also, one woman converted with her children then, and she told that her family converted also because they found contradictions to their faith apparent in their books... (the text goes on to explain more examples of the same thing)"

Here we see that after the Tzadik, R' Nahhman, had told over this Torah, several people converted in the same year. Amazing!